Improvement in thill-couplings



W. B. MELONEY.

Th ill Coupling.

N0.111,556. Patented Feb. 7, 1871.

fitnitzli $121M WILLIAM B. MELONEY, OF SMYRNA, DELAWARE.

Letters Patent No. 11l,556, (la.ted February'7, 1s71.

IMPROVEMENT m THlLL-COUPLINGS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the name.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known'that I, WILLIAM B. MnnonEY, M.

1);, of Smyrna, in the county of Kent and State of Delaware, have invented a new'and useful Improve-v rnent in lhill-Goupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being' had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved tliillcoupling.

Figure 2 isa side view of the coupling-bolt.

Similar lett-ersof reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of .this invention is to provide a more simple and efficient device, for securing the bolt of a thill-conpling in place; and 4 It consistsin the construction of parts as specified in the claim. I

Arepresents the jaws of the clip, between which is placed the eye of the thill-iron B.

G is the bolt which connects and pivots the thillironB to the jaws A. The bolt 0 is made without sorew-threads,-and with around beveled head, 0, as shown in fig. 2. The outer end of the hole in the jaws A, through which'the bolt 0 passes, is countersunk to receive the head 0' of 'the bolt 0, so that the outer surface of said head may be flush with the outer side of the said jawA.

l) is a button, one end of which is pivoted to the outer side of the jaw in whichth'e countersink is formed, in such a position that, when the saidhutton is turned down intoa horizontal position, its other or free end may cover the countersunk head of the bolt 0, and .when the said button is turned up into or toward a vertical position the bolt 0 may be conven iently inserted and removed.

Upon the forward part of the upper edge of the button-D is formed, 'or to it is attach.ed,a small projection, (II, which overlaps the upper edge of the jaw A, to which-the said button is pivoted, to prevent the said button from dropping down too far. The

button D is kept in place, locking the bolt 0 by its own weight, and by the friction between it and the side of the jaw A, to which it is pivoted, which frictionwill be increased by anyrnst that may form upon the jaw A or button D.

If greater security be required a leather key may be passed through a hole formed in the lower part of the button DI, below the lower edge of the jaw A, but for ordinary purposes this will not be required.

I am aware it is not new to provide pivoted buttons for holding thill-iron pintles in their sockets, and I 'Witnesses: A

BENJ. A. HAZELL, J os. L. Bnoxn'rr. 

